Baderun Nisa, Muhammad Ashfaq, Yasmin Channa.
Oil ingestion among children presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary care paediatric hospital.
Pak Paed J Jan ;34(2):65-9.

Objectives: The objectives of our study were to identify common factors responsible for exposure to kerosene oil poisoning, its presenting features and outcomes. This was a descriptive study conducted in the Emergency department, at the National Institute of Child Health Karachi Pakistan from February 2006 to August 2006. Patients and Methods: Sixty children between the ages of 6 months - 12 years with a history of kerosene oil ingestion were enrolled in the study. Information was obtained from parents or guardians. Patients with history of poisoning other than kerosene oil poisoning were excluded. Results: Sixty patients with history of kerosene oil poisoning were seen, ages ranged from 6 months to 12 years. Most patients were between the ages of 1 and 3 years and 75% were boys. Most cases were from poor socioeconomic condition seen during the summer season. The common sites of storage were in the kitchen and under the stairs. Common containers were soft drink bottles and plastic bottles. Clinical presentations were vomiting, cough and tachypnea. One patient in our study died after 48 hours secondary to central nervous system involvement Conclusion: There is a need to create public awareness on child rearing and home safety. Further studies should be conducted to assess the success of the educational programs.

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